


Letters of the Forgotten

by ArthurBlackthorne, Potatorosewolf



Category: Original Work
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:15:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23401354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArthurBlackthorne/pseuds/ArthurBlackthorne, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Potatorosewolf/pseuds/Potatorosewolf
Summary: Mithra and Anna live in two different universes, both of their worlds the product of war between the Magical and Humanity. Except, in Anna’s world the humans won, and in Mithra’s the Fey.Considered the weakest links in the chains that make up their worlds, they nevertheless reach out to each other despite the space, time, and universes between them through letters.This story is their letters, the letters of the hunted and exploited, those who others best think forgotten
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	1. Six Letters

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a new fic special in that we’re posting six letters. Expect regular weekly updates in the form on one letter because we have actually been working on this for a long time. I write for Mithra, TWBW writes for Anna. ——- are for change in pov and ~~~ are for the start and end of a letter. Please leave comments, we really like commentts. -A (ArthurBlackthorne)

Mithra, tired, bruised, and with a slight limp made his way quickly to his ramshackle shack near the edge of the forest camp’s boundary. 

Still, it had been a good day as far as he was concerned, some days he had no choice but to sleep on the training grounds. Too bruised and exhausted to move, and none of the other haval liked him well enough to help him to his bed… well raised platform with a couple of badly tanned furs and skins.

The night before he had finished carving his box, its patterns rough but he knew they would become smooth with time. 

As he settled down like a bird in its nest he grabbed the box from where it lay on the edge of his bed.

Opening the box, with a vague thought of what he should put in it he saw a sheet of paper. The moon had been full the night before, and his eyesight had always been good at night so he had no trouble reading the words written on it;

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You don’t know me and that’s ok, I’ll probably be dead by the time you find this anyway.

My name is Anna, and I needed some kind of escape. I’ve been cursed with the family’s black wings, that skips every few generations. I didn’t ask for them, but here they lay on my back, making me feel sick when I see the posters growing in the city that Dark Angels are being summoned to what used to be Idva. I don’t know why they want us, and why there of all places, we’re a dying race anyway. What more could they do to us?

Mom says she’ll never let me go. She wouldn’t dare trade me away for all the money in the world. But my father has always been a losing gambler. We’re always in some kind of debt, even on the odd nights that he wins. I’m fearful he’ll use me as his scapegoat to put food on the table for them for another night.

The only thing I can do now is just escape to this house in the middle of nowhere. It’s been practically eaten alive by the forest anyway. As long as I don’t disrupt anything, nothing bad should happen to me. Besides this little plot still has a mailbox, one from the old world when they used to have those metal boxes on wooden stakes in the ground.

It seems only fitting I leave my letters to who knows who in the future in something lost to time. As much as I wish someone would find these letters and myself now, So I could at least have someone to talk to during this. I doubt that will happen in my lifetime. Not when I’m this bad of an outcast according to all the other Remnants.

It is getting late, and mom says I’m too young to travel alone in the dark. I spent too long trying to figure out what to write. I will try to write tomorrow as well.

Farewell for now

Anna

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mithra was furious that the other haval (or perhaps an instructor or guard but he hid that thought away since he couldn’t retaliate against people of their station) had managed to see through his mask, that they saw he needed someone to confide in. One of his fellows, had decided to see just how desperate he was by making such an obvious lie, he was not that desperate. In his anger, he wasted no time grabbing a stick of charcoal and writing on the back of the letter and stuffing it back in the box before going back to sleep.

——————————————————————————-———————————————-——-

Anna was glad to just have a few hours to herself in her new sanctuary that everyone seemed to forgotten. It might have been because the trees seemed to snag her cloak when she wasn’t careful, and if she didn’t make sure her wings were flat against her back, they banged hard into the bush that consumed what she could only assume was the home’s fence considering the first time she hit it, her wing actually bleed from being stabbed by something much sharper then a branch.

While she still had one last chore, her studies which she had to complete before sundown, she was content to have the rest of daylight to herself. She was planning to first write a new diary entry if it wasn’t for the bird perched on the old mailbox chirping at her. She would have just gone by the thing until she was about to leave like the other night.

But instead, she indulged the curiosity, walked over and opened the steel box. Only to raise a brow for a moment when it looked like her letter had moved. It was now lying flat in the box instead of perched against the wall, which she would have chalked up to gravity if it wasn’t for the fact there was smudged writing on it that was not her own.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~…~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear, Damn you and every single one of your reincarnations, may you always die a humiliating and ignoble death forgotten like the refuse you are,

Did you really think this was going to work? I know true brilliance blinds those like you who are doomed to the darkness of your own shortsightedness but seriously I am not a five year old or you.

Still, may I congratulate you on your creativity, may you one day use it to figure out how to fuck yourself since no one else with any semblence of sanity is going to. 

Sincerely, Dreali

P.S. When I find out who messed with my stuff, hmm lets just say they won’t be able to track it back to me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She felt fear and confusion all at once as she quickly looked around from her spot. Nobody came to this house, everyone said it was too much work to fix by now, and it was obvious it seemed Nature didn’t want anybody here with how every time someone went to the house they got hurt one way or another. She was the first one in a long time that didn’t take it as a warning, but a challenge to find her little sanctuary away from it all. When her mind could not see any footprints around the dirt except her own bare feet, something stirred in her gut. 

She wasn’t too sure what to call it but it was heavy and lead her to drop her books on the other side of the termite infested table as she pulled the rickety stool up so she could quickly pull out a piece of paper, and her pen and ink. After leaving a fresh letter in the mailbox she would spend the rest of daylight looking for suspicious tracks or signs of life until her mother would be screaming her name to come home as the sunset.

———————————————————————————————————————————-

Mithra’s eyes narrowed, he had woken up and checked the box. He just wondered how in the world they managed to get in without rousing him. He had always been known to have incredible hearing. He opened it, brows furrowed. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wasn’t expecting a response but Hello...Dreali?

I didn’t realize this house was lived in. It’s so old and broken down, the roof leaks moss most of the time and if you’re not careful the bushes will try to eat you alive. Or at least that’s what it feels like when you’re walking through your fence. I meant no offense and I didn’t mean to trespass. But I was told they abandoned this house when some elves left behind a garden and it consumed this part of the neighborhood.

If you don’t live here...How did you find this place? Nobody comes over here except for me. Did the Remnants send you to look for me?

Sincerely,

Anna

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

...a chill ran up his spine. He shook his head, no this was not the time to think about this. He quickly penned a reply, pensive and then left for his morning drills.

———————————————————————————————————————————

Anna was in a bit of a daze going back to the house that afternoon. While in the village she had tried to convince the Nomadic in her shop to come and help her check to see if anything or anyone has stepped foot in her sanctuary. But like everyone else in Kendra, they had abandoned that house and that neighborhood. The only thing she gave her was a small potion for her to drink so she could see who was trespassing.

But that potion didn’t work as desired. It gave her visions, glimpses of things she didn’t recognize, some of people, some of buildings. She didn’t know what to make of it she was pretty sure even if a little community had made their home here she would have found them.

She should have listened to the other remnant in the store, that boy wasn’t born to be a potion master. Her father was going to be furious using what little money they had left.

She opened the mailbox to see if anything had changed, and it had. The response was smaller then it was yesterday, but it reformed that pit in her stomach quicker then the last response did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anna,

There is no fence, this is a camp. The fucking hell are Remnants, and why in the world would they be looking for you in my home. That I built by myself three years ago. I wish there had been an abandoned house for me to move into. Fuck off and stop trying to gaslight me.

Sincerely, telling you to fuck off

-Dreali

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She had rushed inside, and cursed at herself when she realized in her rush to leave before her father woke up she had forgotten to bring paper with her. Sure there was space she could leave a response to. But she had too many questions for that space.

She searched the house, praying luck to be on her side. But the only thing her dark angel bad luck granted her, was a yellowing photograph of what she could only assume was the house before it caved in, wired fence and everything. The picture felt a bit fragile, so she tried her best to write carefully on the back of it.

——————————————————————————————————————————————

Mithra trudged slowly, carrying his ugly rough buckets with a care that seemed out of place with the resentful look on his face. 

He was the only haval who had to go to the edge of the boundary and get water from the river there.

He did not know why exactly they hated him so, he suspected but he also thought such reasons were so stupid they couldn’t be true. 

Mithra preferred to think it was an irrational baseless hatred born from boredom and lazy human cruelty. 

He always did his best to fill them up as much as he could and waste not a drop,while he was used to the dangerous task he never forgot that one slip meant being dragged into a watery grave.

When he got back he set the buckets down carefully on the ledge of the window before covering them with some clean cloth he kept meticulously for that purpose. He knew the importance of keeping the water as clean and as bug free as he could. Task done he reached for his box,curious to see if that person still insisted on their prank.

Picking it up his fingers trembled and his eyes widened. It was a photo of a house, of a house before the Lost Days. Not exactly rare, but most were kept laminated and carefully displayed in city schools or in museums. No haval, or anyone in their camp would or even could afford to use a photo for a prank. 

He flipped it over because his fingers felt writing on the back. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dreali.

I forgot paper today, so I’m using the back of what I think used to be this house when it was in a better condition...I will agree to stop bothering you if you answer my question.

Where do you think your are?

Kendra has no camp in it currently. Everyone knows Remnants are the humans that hold just enough ‘other’ genes as they so lovingly call us to keep them out of their walled off utopia. This house that I visit has been here since before the war that single handedly destroyed and reshaped our world. It’s fenced off from all the other abandoned houses. 

Everyone knows that, it’s one of the first things we’re taught as children…

Unless your not apart of this world. Because even humans on the other side of the wall know this by heart…

So where are you from?

Anna

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh Holy Saint Mother. This, this was magic. There was a place where humans had mixed, had won enough that even mixed humans had houses like that! 

He shivered from fright and excitement, sure this could get him killed but what did he have to look forward to anyway? 

He placed the photo and letter back and grabbed a sheet of his own paper from a past assignment, brushing off and smudging the charcoal writing so that he had a blank enough surface to write his response.

————————————————————————————————————————————-

Anna was careful in carrying the box of things she had with her through the nature surrounding the house. The fliers were starting to grow in number around the small village, and she could feel the people’s stares digging into her back.

She trusted her mother to keep her safe, but not her father or the rest of the community. She only had one place to hide away, so she might as well try to fix this house up as best as she could.

She checked the mailbox when she went passed it, a new part of her routine when she came by. And she was still pleasantly surprised to see a letter there waiting for her. She put the box down to open it up then and there, not even bothering to wait inside.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Anna,

I am from, well we call our world Iyanto. I don’t have much time now to explain everything that happened, about us, about me but we have a three day holiday honoring our Saint Mother’s champion Linnan defeating the Devil’s Geveral Hajiin in two days so I should have enough time then. For the time being make up a new name, here at least names have power most people have multiple names, all have two. 

Your true name (usually given though it can change, its the name you use in your head the one you see yourself as), the name everyone calls you (Mine is Dreali). Others can include ones for friends and family, or for work, or based on your deeds or reputation. Hide your true name, while I doubt anything can use you name across worlds it's still best to be careful.

Bye for now, 

-Dreali

P,S. Do youhave any idea how stupid and dangerous it is to write to a stanger! Much less just give away your true name! 

P.P.S Yes I know its hypocritical considering I did the same thing (except for the true name) and am in fact planning on continuing. 

P.P.P.S. I don’t care if I am one. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She didn’t recognize the places and names, although if she squinted Linnan was kind of close to who people called the Mother of all Dark Angels, Lilliana. But she wasn’t about to try and start poking holes in someone’s history when they were claiming to be from a different world.

A different world...

It’s just her luck her only friend is in a different world all together.

She carried her box back inside and tossed open the lid, going through the tools she was borrowing for house repairs in search for the small stack of paper she had brought along. 

She first sat down to write out her response back to this stranger she was slowly befriending. And then once her letter was safely in the mailbox, she worked on trying to make this house at least somewhat livable again for at least one person.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was supposed to come out yesterday. Me and Blackthorne agreed that we should update on Saturdays...  
> And then I kind of forgot to cause I had to go shopping nearly all day yesterday in an attempt to get the bare necessities for the week, I didn't get home until way past sunset...Gods above and below I hope we can stop living in interesting times soon. Stay safe out there guys where ever you may be~ TWBA

Mithra was supposed to be taking his basket filled to the top with dried and preserved food back to his shack so he would have that to eat for the next three days. 

He was supposed to contemplate Linnan’s works, glories, and lessons as well as the greatness and love of the Saint Mother in silence and deep reverence. 

Mithra was only planning on doing one of those things, which was take the food back. He didn’t plan on eating it just now because they bullied him enough at the mess hall that he had long learned to scavenge and kill for himself. The stuff they prepared just tasted better and lasted longer so he would save it for bad days.

He moved his blankets and lifted the top of the wood platform that was his bed to move the basket inside. The bitter wood would deter rodents and thieves.

Thus done he reached for the box, Anna should have replied by now he thought with a tinge of fondness.

Dear Dreali

Well I guess by that standard I should be ok since I haven’t been using my birth name really. Anna is a shorter version of my real name, it’s become a nickname at this point. Although everyone calls me Anna more often then my real name so would it have the same power as my real one?

I've never heard of your world in any of my history books or of the people you spoke of. You must really be on another planet. As scary of a thought that should probably be, It’s still really cool! It’s honestly just nice to have someone to talk to, even for a little bit.

I guess I should probably go first in explaining a bit more about my world hu? Since this started because of me.

Our world used to go by a different name, Nobody really remembers what it used to be called since they considered everything before the end of the world irrelevant. Our world isn’t the same, not just metaphorically either. The ancestors to the Nomadics had accidentally changed and shifted the landmasses of the world in attempt to protect people against Human weapons. The old maps we have are kind of like looking at a map of a fairy tale story, It’s barely recognizable.

Kendra is the village I live in, if you couldn’t tell (Which i don’t blame you, Mama says I have a bad habit of thinking faster then I can write which means i forget to write a lot of details down). We’re mostly a farming village, my father goes out to work in the fields at night, not to tend the land though, to keep guard of bandits.

Meanwhile, the outside of the wall, where I live has some kind of loose hierarchy. Most of the time the mindset of everyone is ‘fend for yourselves’. You only have your family and your village to protect you. Which isn’t looking to good for me.

Those Remnants I was worried had sent you to find me letters ago? The reason they would be after me is because I'm a Dark angel. We’re considered bad luck, and evil, although there’s not a lot of us left to really prove if that thought is right or wrong. They’ve been putting up more posters up recently, calling Dark Angels to gather in a town that we were told were abandoned decades ago. My mama would never turn me in, but my dad might for the money. I’m slowly working on trying to turn this house I'm writing to you from into a home.

So in case of the worse case scenario, i’ll just live here in secret since everyone is to afraid to come to this side of the village.

From, Star (that will be my new name, just in case going by a shorter version of your real name isn’t enough.)

Mithra frowned, worry clouding his mind even as there was a lightning bolt of laughter at someone so boldly curious even as they were entangled in a situation more precarious than his.

He shook his head, annoyed. A village, parents, and yet it seemed that even in another world Fate just had to take its payment of misery and blood instead of letting his friend by happy.

Sighing, he turned the letter over to write in the back. Anna, he thought, since Star was a terrible name, probably wouldn’t mind. He also didn’t want to get scolded again for wasting his own so he ignored the part of him that wanted to keep the letter. It would be dangerous to keep it and he couldn't bear to destroy it, this was for the best.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve decided to just add extra space to differentiate the letters instead of the lines when there is no pov switch. -AB

Anna was in a lot of pain if she was being honest to herself. She was too late to return her father’s tools before he noticed they were missing and he had lashed out in a way her mother couldn’t protect her. At least nothing was broken and she could still see out of both eyes. Her muscles made it very clear though they would have preferred to be hiding back in her soft bed then trying not to get stabbed by the nature trying to keep her out of the house she was trying to make a home.

With a slow stride and a limp she made her way to the mailbox, it was a part of her steady routine to check it before she went inside, and before she left for home. Despite knowing her new friend could probably never reply that fast, she couldn’t help it. This was the first friend she had in a very long time. Everyone else avoided her due to the things on her back. It wasn’t her fault the dark angel genes decided she needed to sprout the black feathered wings.

It wasn’t her fault she was born like this.

She smiled when she saw the paper in the mailbox, and her smile was even wider when she saw the now only slightly foreign writing on the back of her old letter.

Dear Nana,

Star is a terrible name. Sorry. Well not really since I don’t want to lie to you. Plus Nana was a famous aueen in our world. She was Linnan’s best friend and even fought a couple times by her side. She would have probably been at her side forever but well she was a queen and had her own responsibilities and then Linnan had to go and die. So, alls bad that ends bad. 

So, *cough* , not (well not wanting )to be the bearer of bad news but you should probably build your home somewhere else. I know its probably hard to find another abandoned building but you asked around for that one. Two can keep a secret only if one of them is dead or the other one is another world and can’t tell anyone and I have a feeling more than two know that you’re in that house.

Actually, argh its probably best you don’t pick an abandoned building since those are the places they’ll be looking after they search people you know and that house. Are there woods? Can you hide your tracks? If it's that bad you should probably leave early so there is less to track once they finally start looking. 

Damn I don’t know enough to come up with a better plan! Is there anyone on your side besides your mom? 

Well on to happier/atleast not worrying to you news/history.

Iyanto was once full of humans, we had a lot of cool stuff we now only see on royalty or museums like pens and ...stuff. Okay, so I wasn’t really paying attention in school and then I became a haval and I don’t know any royalty. Holy Saint Mother I’m bad at this,

Anyway, the fey became pissed that humans were stealing and ruining everything so they finally emerged from the outskirts. It would have been an easy win for humans considering all the weaknesses fey have but it turns out leaving most of the control to a few people and most of that control on machines is a bad idea when your enemy can control you remotely with just your name. 

Most died. We would have regained control eventually now that we knew to hide our names, but the fey changed. Some of the Old Ones thought it was because know everyone believed in them and feared them, others that they were made. We call them the Fey, original right? They are taller than most, slim, incredibly fast iron hurts them but the way it would hurt anyone and steel does almost nothing. The only thing that’s great is that they are light, a strong thirteen year old could probably pick them up and throw them. 

Their skin is different colors, most have markings. One of our greats the Mad Haval Alfbo studied them and thought the markings meant status, strength, and abilities but he was killed before he could have someone write it down. He couldn’t read or write. All we have is his drawings.

The rest changed as well, became more dangerous but honestly that's kind of boring, I’ll write about them as I see them. What we learn about them is so little compared to what they actually are. Water nymphs are much more beautiful in person.

We were forced into small city states. The rich live behind walls, the poor behind barriers made of salt and iron because someone has to go out and tend to the fields. Attacks are rare but they aren’t common because the barriers aren’t the strongest. The roads also have barriers but they are weaker because they don’t have as many upkeeping them and because it's harder.

Argh I’m running out of space, Bye, -Your friend, Mithra

Anna limped into her home as she read slowly. Taking a much needed seat at the table as her eyes scanned the words in front of her. His world sounded so much more different than hers, but oddly similar. Parallel. 

They both were fearing for their lives every single day. It was just different monsters after them.

She laid Mithra’s reply down on the table before getting up to fetch paper and her pen. As she headed back to the table, she noticed a few feathers that had naturally fallen off her wings.

The thought didn’t even fully cross her mind as she gathered what feathers naturally fell from her wings as she pulled some loose thread from the bottom of her shirt to tie them together. They might not be much but she had to at least try and give Mithra something to keep him alive against the monsters he was going to eventually face.

Once they were tied tight enough she was sure they wouldn’t come undone, she took the fresh paper and began to write.


End file.
